I have no problem with people who don't like Vika. I do, however, have a problem with people who hate her so much that they make absurd statements that can't possibly be backed up by facts. At least be reasonable.

I really dislike Azarenka and I don't see where someone could even consider Azarenka to flop so badly that she'd be out of the top 5 lol so I don't see what Smitten is talking about. Probably another bait thread to have people fighting. I guess the biggest flop is this thread lol

It's gonna be very tough for Vika to defend all those points up until Miami. But she is definitely not going to "flop" as you put it. She's so consistent now, she always brings a high level to her matches (for the most part, a couple upsets are bound to happen eventually.)

But anyway, I don't see Vika keeping her #1 ranking but she will no doubt stay in the top 3 all year long. & I think she will win one slam, probably the Australian.

Who was the last player that upset Vika in a truly *shocking* fashion? Domi gave her trouble this year and can be dangerous and is still top 20. Marion was a top 10 player, and losses to Serena, Maria and others can't truly be shocking upsets can they?

Her last inarguable flop match was in Stanford 2011. She's remarkably good at taking care of the people she should be wiping away easily. What she needs to do is find a way to consistently challenge Serena, and to add things to her game so people can't catch on to her tactics and strategies when they play well. I think Sam Sumyk is great and will contribute to that.

Who was the last player that upset Vika in a truly *shocking* fashion? Domi gave her trouble this year and can be dangerous and is still top 20. Marion was a top 10 player, and losses to Serena, Maria and others can't truly be shocking upsets can they?

Her last inarguable flop match was in Stanford 2011. She's remarkably good at taking care of the people she should be wiping away easily. What she needs to do is find a way to consistently challenge Serena, and to add things to her game so people can't catch on to her tactics and strategies when they play well. I think Sam Sumyk is great and will contribute to that.

I never said there would be a shocking upset, just a couple of upsets here and there. It happens to every player :P

Bitch, please. TF has established Sharapova is the red clay queen and the RG favorite for years to come.

Well she is queen Justine gave her green light.

Lol Smitten is such a pressed, bitter and sad hater with a no life. I feel for ya. I can't wait till Vila snatches other wigs, he will cry his mommy. Btw you should make a pact : if Vika wins another Slam this year, you ban yourself from that forum. Would be a great Christmas gift

Nah, I still say AO is her best shot. That's where she plays her best tennis, imo.

*but I think I get what you're saying, being as the FO is so wide open.

Don't forget USO. People underrate her there because of her results on paper, but for the last three years she had the fainting episode, lost to Serena playing her best tennis of the event in R3, then lost to Serena again in F. With both presumably being top 4 seeds I expect her to do very well on the New York HC. And regarding her ranking, I expect her to do well to regain some points lost in the first half of the season during the USO lead ups.

AO & US: Second favorite behind Serena. Unlike on grass, on a great serving day she could possibly beat Serena, but it's nothing to bet on.
Serena > Vika > Maria > The rest.
Wim: On a fairly short list of players who could win, but is always going to be at the mercy of a Serena or probably even Petra. f those players flop she's with Sharapova as being proficient enough on the surface and consistent enough that she should be able to win.
Serena >>> Petra > Some Spoiler(like Venus) > Vika > Maria > The rest.
FO: Her worst slam. The clay takes away any bite on her groundstrokes making her look rather pedestrian. She has a lot to work on on the surface and can be beaten by quite a few players. Her last two results are QF, 4R, not bad but being subjective she just doesn't look convincing on the surface at all.
Sharapova > Stosur > Random Claycourter > Vika > Serena.

Don't forget USO. People underrate her there because of her results on paper, but for the last three years she had the fainting episode, lost to Serena playing her best tennis of the event in R3, then lost to Serena again in F. With both presumably being top 4 seeds I expect her to do very well on the New York HC. And regarding her ranking, I expect her to do well to regain some points lost in the first half of the season during the USO lead ups.

AO & US: Second favorite behind Serena. Unlike on grass, on a great serving day she could possibly beat Serena, but it's nothing to bet on.
Serena > Vika > Maria > The rest.
Wim: On a fairly short list of players who could win, but is always going to be at the mercy of a Serena or probably even Petra. f those players flop she's with Sharapova as being proficient enough on the surface and consistent enough that she should be able to win.
Serena >>> Petra > Some Spoiler(like Venus) > Vika > Maria > The rest.
FO: Her worst slam. The clay takes away any bite on her groundstrokes making her look rather pedestrian. She has a lot to work on on the surface and can be beaten by quite a few players. Her last two results are QF, 4R, not bad but being subjective she just doesn't look convincing on the surface at all.Sharapova > Stosur > Random Claycourter > Vika > Serena.

I think Maria or Serena have just as much, if not more of a chance of flopping this season than Vika.

Both have shown the capabality of higher peaks, but are undeniably past them. It's getting towards the end of their careers so it's always going to be touch and go every season. Vika has been super-consistent, I don't think her level will drop significantly, but it's a question of if she can keep/raise it if Maria/Serena can produce another good year.

No way she is going to be beneath the top 2. It will be more surprising if she doesn´t perform even better this season. She´s superfit, consistent and so strong willed to stay at the top. No "pressure issues" or such silliness in her case (unlike Kvitova last year).

It depends what you consider a flop. I can't see her leaving the top 5 at any stage if she remains healthy. The worst case scenario is if Maria and Serena consistently bring their best and Petra sheds the gut, overcomes her health issues then she could possibly be YE #4 by a long margin.

It isn't the most likely of scenarios but it's the worst I can think of unless she becomes injured which would actually be more of a possibility. I don't think her tennis will be a problem next season, if anything I'm more concerned about whether or not she can go two full seasons in a row without being affected by injury, before last year she was very prone to them.

I think Maria or Serena have just as much, if not more of a chance of flopping this season than Vika.

Both have shown the capabality of higher peaks, but are undeniably past them. It's getting towards the end of their careers so it's always going to be touch and go every season. Vika has been super-consistent, I don't think her level will drop significantly, but it's a question of if she can keep/raise it if Maria/Serena can produce another good year.

I hope she's used this off season effectively to build up her serve more (she was hitting some fine serves at Gilette Tour) so she can be more truthworthy with her serve and finish matches with a less chance of break. It'd be good to see her try to get just a little bit more power too, that'd definitely help her challenge Serena more often.

I think she'll up no less then #4, I mean who could take her place? The only three people I see who can challenge her are Serena, Masha and Kvitova. Unless something random happens like Stosur winning the FO or Li winning the FO or Radwanska/Wozniacki/Kerber winning a Slam then theres no doubt Vika will stay high.